Cross-Cultural Differences in Self-Serving Bias: Responses to the Attributional Style Questionnaire by American and Finnish Students

Abstract

Abstract In this investigation of cultural differences in causal attributions and self-serving bias, 44 American and 46 Finnish undergraduates (18–23 years old) received the Attributional Style Questionnaire, and their responses were compared. The results showed that the Americans used self-serving attributional bias to a greater extent than the Finns did: They attributed good outcomes to more internal, stable, and global factors, whereas the reverse was true for bad outcomes. However, the Finnish subjects also showed a tendency to apply self-serving bias.